Polish-born violinist Piotr Szewczyk has been hailed for his “stellar technique and constantly ringing tone” (Charleston Post and Courier) and has been a member of the Jacksonville Symphony’s first violin section since 2007. He is also an active composer, whose work has been called “magical” (Gramophone Magazine).

Szewczyk has also appeared as guest concertmaster with the Orlando Chamber Soloists and has completed a three-year fellowship at the New World Symphony under Michael Tilson Thomas, where he served as rotating concertmaster. He is the winner of FSU Doctoral Concerto Competition, the New World Symphony Concerto Competition, and other awards. As a soloist and chamber musician, he performed at the Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, Spoleto Festival USA, Colorado Music Festival, Santa Fe New Music, and others.

As a composer, Szewczyk has received awards from The American Prize, Project Trio Competition, Flute Consortium Competition, Shuffle Concert Competition, American Modern Ensemble, Rapido! Composition Contest, Third Millennium Ensemble, and others. His music was featured on NPR Performance Today, the CBS Early Show, and has been performed by Atlanta Chamber Players, Trio Solis, Alias Ensemble, Dover Quartet, Carpe Diem String Quartet, Vega Quartet, Sybarite 5, Juventas Ensemble, New Music Raleigh, New World Symphony and at Eastern Music Festival, Ravinia Festival, Colorado Music Festival, St. Augustine Music Festival, and others.

Dr. Szewczyk holds the degrees of D.M. from Florida State University, B.M. and double M.M. in violin and composition from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He studied violin with Piotr Milewski, Kurt Sassmannshaus, Dorothy DeLay, and Corinne Stillwell, and composition with Joel Hoffman, Michael Fiday, Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon, Henry Gwiazda, and Darrel Handel.

Albums

Bliss Point

Release Date: May 12, 2017
Catalog Number: NV6093
21st Century
Chamber
Flute
Piano
String Quartet
When approaching his latest chamber album BLISS POINT, Polish-born violinist and composer Piotr Szewczyk turned to a unique lens of inspiration – food science. His interpretation of a “bliss point” in the culinary sense embodies the technique’s saturation of a flavor just before the point of diminished potency. Of course, he trades in the contents of his spice cabinet in favor of diverse instrumental pairings, and in doing so, the composer explores the “saturation limits in the full spectrum of emotions, textures, and characters.” In doing so, Szewczyk is confident that the resulting collection of chamber works “covers the entire expressive range of my vocabulary and artistic sensitivity.”

Violin Futura

Release Date: February 12, 2016
Catalog Number: NV6028
21st Century
Solo Instrumental
Violin
In 2005, violinist and composer Piotr Szewczyk developed the Violin Futura Project, a collection of commissioned miniatures for solo violin that highlights over thirty international contemporary composers and how they are re-imagining the solo violin. “The purpose of the Violin Futura Project,” says Szewczyk, “is to sample the creative environment of our times by showcasing the wide variety of styles present in the 21st century, and to create a body of new solo violin repertoire.” Navona Records presents the album release of Szewczyk’s project, VIOLIN FUTURA.

Nova

Release Date: June 1, 2013
Catalog Number: NV5917
21st Century
Chamber
Solo Instrumental
Piano
Navona Records is proud to present NOVA, the 27th edition of the acclaimed Society of Composers, Inc. CD Series and the third SCI release on Navona. This entry in the series features chamber works by eight SCI composers.